Nicknamed “the world’s most famous arena,” Madison Square Garden in Manhattan, New York is one of the most iconic venues in all of sports, but New York mayor Eric Adams is considering moving the historic arena.
According to Fox News, Adams said he would be “open” to moving Madison Square Garden to a new location as it redevelops Penn Station, which sits below the arena. Adams also said the move could make room for more housing in the area.
“I am open,” Adams said Wednesday at the Crain’s New York “Power Breakfast,” according to Fox News. “The Penn Station project is a crucial one. I think that area is ripe for housing, is ripe for real investment.”
While the current arena is historic, serving as the site of the 1970 NBA Finals won by the New York Knicks, the New York Rangers’ 1994 Stanley Cup title, and Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier’s “The Fight of the Century” in 1971, a move certainly wouldn’t be unprecedented.
The current arena, which opened in 1968, is actually the fourth building to bear the “Madison Square Garden” name. The first two arenas – built in 1879 and 1890 – were actually located on Madison Square, on East 26th Street and Madison Avenue, respectively. The third, which opened in 1925, was built further uptown at Eighth Avenue and 50th Street.
While the move would be a massive change, Adams jokes that maybe it would be a positive change for the New York Knicks.
“And if that fits into Madison Square Garden moving into another location, maybe we’ll help the Knicks win,” Adams said.
There are no formal plans to move the arena at this time, but it’s clear Adams sees it as a very real option.
[Fox News]